Cunene River Crossing Namib Desert Between Angola and Namibia – May 3rd, 2011

The Namib Desert is a desert in Namibia and southwest Angola. This image focuses on the northern part of the desert, stretching across the border between those two countries.

The border is marked by the Cunene River (Angolan spelling) or Kunene River (Namibian spelling), which flows from the Angola highlands south to the border with Namibia and then west along the border until it reaches the Atlantic Ocean. Some greenish sediments can be seen entering the ocean near its mouth.

Moving up the coast from the rivermouth, one comes to Baia dos Tigres, the largest island of Angola (despite its name, which means “Bay of Tigres”). Its area is 98 km².